Buy it from

Guitarist Erika M Anderson left her native South Dakota for LA. But she brought the rolling emptiness with her, as her solo debut album attests. The rather grand-sounding Past Life Martyred Saints is one tough woman's level stare into the abyss, with the aid of voice, guitar and distorting effects. Droning and raga-like, it builds on Anderson's past in sculpted noise bands. But despite sweet interludes and some arresting surprises – "Milkman" has thumping beats and a Patti Smith-style vocal – these nine tracks don't ever better Anderson's debut single, the Viking death dirge "The Grey Ship", which also featured a 16-minute Robert Johnson cover.